The Deadly Game
by Sabaku no Ryu
Summary: The girls are taken captive in another universe! The boys set out to save them. (think twisted, gothic Alice in Wonderland meets Labryinth) R for Language and lots of violence.
1. Prologue: Girls Gone

**The Deadly Game**

**Ryu:** Hi! Me again...not going to waste your time...I really think you'll like this one...(I hope...)

**Gaara:** Don't worry...even if they hate you, I don't...

**Ryu:** {hugs Gaara} thanks...

(Sorry about the bad muse beginning...I've had a bad day...I need a hug)

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Naruto...I do own...oh, wait...you aren't even CLOSE to HER yet...I do own Nunota (next chapter)...

**Prologue**

It was a bright day in Konoha. Temari put up her last ponytail and looked in the mirror. She smoothed out the tank top and shorts she was wearing and smiled at her reflection.

"It's nice to have a day off," she murmured to herself as she stretched. "Well, I'd better be going. I don't want to be late meeting everyone." She turned and walked out of her room.

"I'm leaving!" she shouted to the house. She got no response. "Hmmm, they must have gone out already." She shrugged and left.

Haruno Sakura, Yamanaka Ino, and Yumiko Tenten were already at Ino's family's flower shop when Temari turned the corner. Sakura waved.

"Hey, there's Temari!" she said to the other two.

"Great, then all we need is Hinata," said Ino.

"Here she comes!" shouted Tenten from the roof of the store.

Hyuuga Hinata, smiling excitedly, came running up. Tenten leaped from the roof to land right next to Temari. The older girl smiled at the resilience and flexibility of her young training partner.

"Sorry I'm late, but I stopped..." she dug around in her bag. "to get these." She came up with five sodas. She started to hand them out.

"Thanks Hinata! I was getting thirsty up there!" said Tenten.

Each girl took her soda gratefully and they sat down in the shade to drink. They didn't have to meet the boys for an hour. The whole group was going to go out together. The five of them had decided to meet early to talk and get to know one another better. Temari and Tenten had become about as close as sisters. They trained together and Tenten went to Temari for advice. Sakura and Ino had made up and were best friends again and everyone wanted to get to know Hinata a bit better. So the five of them walked out of town a little ways to a nearby clearing and sat down to the picnic lunch that Hinata had packed.

About a half-hour later, Temari heard something.

"Shhh. What's that?"

The girls sat quiet for a moment. Then, they all heard it. Soft, delicate strains of flute music.

"Wow," Tenten breathed. "It's beautiful."

Hinata slowly got to her feet, still watching the direction the music was coming from. She slowly turned.

"We've got some time. Let's go find out who's playing that?"

The girls all got to their feet, and the five of them set out to find the music, picnic forgotten.

After a few minutes of walking through the woods, they came to a small, clear pool, being fed by water sliding down some rocks in the back. The music seemed to be emanating from the deep water. Temari walked to the pool and look directly in.

She gasped. "You...need...just come here," she said to the others. Tenten, followed by the others, came and got on their hands and knees next to Temari and looked into the pool. They all gasped.

The water seemed to swirl beneath the surface with many colors. The music poured from the colors, and a voice they hadn't heard before was crystal clear.

'Close your eyes and dream your way here.'

Temari closed her eyes. Soon, all the girls followed suit.

There, next to the small, waterfall-fed pool, the five girls vanished.

The pool stopped swirling.

**Ryu: **There...something new...just wait until I get done with then next chapter and we get to get into the action!

**Gaara: **This should be interesting...

**Ryu:** {runs and hugs Gaara}

**Gaara:** Still sad?

**Ryu:** {nods}

**Gaara:** In place of your fanfic author, please review...{to Ryu} Cheer up! Soon you get to go home, and people will be sympathetic for your day...At least, they'd BETTER be...

**Ryu:** Thanks Gaara...{still hugging}

**Gaara:** That's what I'm here for...to be your best friend and confidante in your head!


	2. The Portal and The Keeper

**The Deadly Game**

**Ryu: **Ok, I was mistaken. You will get to meet HER in this chapter…Don't blame me…I didn't decide this, the characters did…Alright…second story working on…trying to write and order stock for the store at the same time…not working…

**Etna: **Yay! You ordered my name!

**Ryu:** Yup. Hey, ordering Pandora panned out pretty well…but anyway…time to continue.

**DISCLAIMER: **No own Naruto… sniff sniff

**Chapter 2: The Portal and the Keeper**

Hyuuga Neji stared off in the distance down the road. He activated his Byakugan, trying to see if he could spot any of the girls. But they weren't there. He turned back to the rest of the guys.

Uzumaki Naruto, Uchiha Sasuke, Inuzuka Kiba, Rock Lee, Aburame Shino, Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji, Sabaku no Gaara, and Kankurou sat in the shade, watching him.

"Any sign of them?" asked Naruto anxiously. The girls were supposed to meet up with them over an hour ago, but there had been no sign of them at all in the village. Even super-cool Sasuke and lazy Shikamaru were looking worried. Where were the girls?

"We ought to split up and look for them," suggested Kankurou.

Suddenly, a soft, female voice from behind them made them jump.

"That won't be necessary. I can take you to the girls."

A ring of sand enclosed itself around the throat of a green-cloaked figure, the hood still covering her face. The figure stood, immobilized, as Neji used his Byakugan to scan her over. Then, he nodded to Gaara, who released the sand, and stepped forward.

"Where are they?" he asked, voice cold, yet curious.

The hooded figure lowered her head. "They await your arrival in the home of my master. It was he who sent me to retrieve you." The figure bowed deeply. "He requests your presence."

The boys looked at each other, except for Gaara. Gaara's eyes never left the still bowing figure. He glared at her.

"Who are you?" he asked.

She stood upright. "I am of no importance at this time. My master is the one who wishes to speak to you. It is regarding the girls."

All the guys' eyes widened. They looked around at each other. Naruto was the first one to shrug.

"Well, it doesn't matter about all of you. I'm going," he said, "whether you are or not."

After a moment's hesitation, all the guys nodded. The cloaked figure bowed again.

"Please follow me." And she hurried off into the woods. The boys followed right on her heels.

Within a few moments, the boys glimpsed a small pool. Water flowed down the stones at the back, creating a waterfall. The water's soft sound was the only thing that broke the silence of the woods. The cloaked figure stopped next to the pool.

"This is the entrance into my master's domain," she said, gesturing at the pool.

Sasuke's eyes slitted and he stepped up to the girl in the cloak. "What the hell do you mean? What nonsense are you talking?"

She raised her hand, and the Uchiha fell silent. "I speak the truth. Here, I shall prove it to you." She stepped up next to the pool and waved a hand over it. The water stilled to a pure, unflawed glassiness, as if the water from the falls was never touching it. "Come. Look into the water."

The boys crowded around the pool and stared into its unbroken surface. Inside, they saw Tenten, Sakura, Temari, Ino, and Hinata, their eyes closed as if in sleep, reflected in the water. Everyone's eyes widened. Suddenly, a growl resounded, and Naruto lunged at the hooded girl. He grabbed her by the neck and wrenched her off her feet.

"What the hell have you done to them!" he cried, as his eyes reddened, claws grew and whisker-marks deepened. Before the others could act, he began to shake the cloaked figure, throwing her hood off. The figure was indeed a girl, with deep green hair and eyes the color of the deep ocean. She had grabbed hold of Naruto's wrist in an attempt to keep herself from choking. Streams of blood flowed down her neck from where Naruto's claws had pierced her skin. Gaara, in rushing to stop Naruto from killing the one person who may be able to tell them more about what had happened, noticed something. Even as her life-blood poured from her wounds, and her airway was being crushed, the girl's eyes did not radiate fear, sadness, or even resignation. Instead, they looked hopeful. As though she wanted to die. Gaara, memories flooding his head, wrenched Naruto's hand from the girl's throat, and held her with his sand, levitating in a seat above the ground. He lowered her to the ground and stepped in front of her.

"Where are they? Are they alright?"

The girl looked straight into his eyes, something Gaara was not used to. "They rest in the home of my master, and they are fine. Just sleeping." She turned back to the pool. "However, there is a limit to how much time you have to decide to come with me."

"What happens if time runs out, or we decide not to come?" asked Shikamaru out of curiosity.

The girl's head drooped. "Then my master will keep them, and they will have vanished without a trace. You will forget ever meeting me, ever coming here, all of it. And you will never see them again."

That seemed to settle it. Sasuke walked up to the girl and spun her around. "How do we get there?" He pointed to the pool.

She smiled sadly. "I can take you. I will unlock the portal." She closed her eyes and held her hand over the portal again. After a moment, she turned her hand palm up. A soft green glowing ball formed in her hand. It spun rapidly, then dissipated. Hovering in the air above her hand was an old-fashioned key. She took said key and slipped it into the water.

Suddenly, the water deepened, darkened, until it seemed to turn pure black. The girl turned back to the guys.

"Just touch the water, like this." She reached out a hand and touched the surface of the water with the pad of her ring finger. Suddenly, she vanished.

The guys looked at each other. Then, to everyone's surprise, Choji stepped forward and touched the surface, disappearing just like the girl. Within a moment, all of the guys touched the surface of the black water. A few seconds after the last person entered the portal, the water turned once again, pure and unadulterated, and no trace of the guys could be seen.

The trip through the water had been disorienting. The group stood, shaking their heads to clear them, in a patch of woods. A path wandered through, covered with leaves. Shikamaru noticed it first.

"Interesting," he said, looking around.

Naruto copied him, looking around. After a moment, the blonde could stand it no longer. "What?"

By this time, a couple of the others had noticed as well. "It was the beginning of summer when we came here. Bright, sunny day. No clouds. No wind. Here, it looks like fall, middle of it I'd say. Deep, overcast sky. Crisp breeze."

Everyone else looked around, surprised they hadn't noticed the chill in the air, or the deep colors of the leaves. The girl smiled another sad smile.

"Yes. It is my favorite time of year, with such deep, robust colors, the feeling of creativity and intelligence, and that taste in the air you cannot describe." She smiled again, eyes closed as a sweet, cool breeze blew over them. "I am allowed one thing here, and that is to control the weather. I love all seasons, but I love autumn the most." She turned to them, cerulean gaze piercing. "My master is coming. Prepare yourselves."

Neji activated the Byakugan and took stance for Gentle Fist. Naruto readied a Rasengan while his eyes reddened and whisker-marks darkened. Sasuke's eyes took on the red Sharingan as his arm glowed from Chidori. Kiba and Akamaru performed the half-beast formation and got ready to move into the Double Twister. Choji began to eat heartily and quickly, storing up calories for his moves. Shikamaru stood, kunai ready, silently cursing the lack of shadows. Gaara's sand took on a protective, yet offensive, ring around him. Kankurou pulled Karasu out, testing his Chakra strings. Shino spoke to his bugs, getting them ready. Lee took stance, waiting.

The girl turned. Seeing them ready to fight, she moved back with them, then turned back the way she had been facing. Suddenly, the wind kicked up, nearly blowing everyone off their feet. Heavy black storm clouds rolled in over the calm grey ones, lightning flashing. The rain began coming down in torrents, as the wind blew harder than before. Gaara watched as, while everyone, even Choji, was struggling to keep their feet, the girl just looked right into the heart of the storm coming, cloak and knee-length hair flapping about her. The wind fought with her old renaissance-style dress. Her eyes narrowed, and she raised a single hand. The wind died down as suddenly as it had appeared, the lightning ran from the sky, and the rain stopped as suddenly as if they had run under shelter. The black clouds receded, and the soft grey ones returned. The girl turned back to the group.

Without warning, a bolt of what seemed to be lightning struck the girl, sending her flying to the side. Gaara used his sand transport and caught her just before she struck a tree full-force. She shook her head clear, then looked where the bolt had come from, a mixture of hate and fear on her face.

"I cannot believe you dared spoil my big entrance." The voice was male, a full voice, but seemingly entirely created of ice. Another blast of chill autumn wind and blowing leaves, and a man stood before the group. His black hair hung to about waist length, and his dark eyes glared daggers to the side at the girl. Gaara, helping the girl to her feet, noticed and gave the man his patented 'Gaara glare', complete with tendrils of sand itching to devour the man.

The man chuckled. "Well, it seems you've already made good with this group, Kagitsu." He pointed a finger at the girl, and she flew in front of him, hovering there. "But don't think that means you can do what you will. I still own you." Flicking his wrist, he threw her again. He turned away. "But, since they seem to like you so much, you explain." Another blast of wind, and he was gone.

Shino, who had managed to get his bugs to catch the girl, walked over and gave her a hand up. She smiled gratefully at him and Gaara. Neji walked over to her.

"Kagitsu. Key. What does that mean?"

The girl bowed, hair falling to one side. "My name is Kagitsu no Mamorusha. Keeper of the Keys. Kagitsu or Kagi for short." She rose.

"Keeper of the Keys? What kind of a name is that?" Kiba asked, cocking his head to one side.

"The only name I know. I forgot my name when I became his slave. He renamed me." Kagi looked bitter. "I remember well how I came to be here, but I don't remember any names or places, or even where I came from. Just Kagi."

The group looked down sheepishly. They had all thought that Kagi had been in on the kidnapping of the girls, but now they understood. Kagi had only brought them here because she had to. There was nothing else she could have done. Even Gaara looked a bit embarrassed.

Kagi looked over the group. "Well, I suppose I ought to tell you what is going on."

The group looked a bit relieved to be freed of the burden of their guilt. They looked at her with rapt attention.

"This place is made up of seven different…areas I suppose you'd say." She held her hands up, palm up, and closed her eyes. Five little balls appeared, depositing keys into the air. They hovered there as she opened her eyes. "In the first five, your goal is one of these." The keys glowed. "There is one in each area." She closed her eyes again, and the keys disappeared. "You will be split up into two man teams, randomly, and began at different parts of the area. Don't be fooled, this place is huge." She gestured to the ground. "When the key for an area is found, the path to the door to the next area will sparkle, like this." A green, sparkly haze covered the ground. "The world is strange and random. The weather will change without warning. You could be walking in a forest when it will suddenly turn into a grassy field, and then to an ocean beach. Don't be surprised." She started to pace. "Some places will not change, but those places usually have a test you must perform. A maze, a small quest from an aged woman, a game of shogi, whatever. You must perform this test before you can leave that particular place, key found or not. The places that change will be filled with enemies, human or beast. Be prepared and always on your guard. When you find the key, follow the mist. It will lead you to the door to the next area. You will know the door, even if it is in disguise, because the haze will cover it." She stopped for a moment, tilting her head to think. "I do believe that is it."

Shikamaru stepped forward. "What about areas six and seven? What are we to do there?"

A sad look covered her face. "If…no, when you reach there, I shall tell you. They are different than these." She turned to the world. "This is like a faerie tale. You are the handsome princes, going off to rescue the beautiful princesses. Too bad a dragon isn't all you have to worry about." She turned back. "Yes, the girls' fates rest on you." Her eyes saddened. "I will tell you what happened to me. I was taken, just like your friends. Unfortunately, I was not rescued. My friends were too weak to finish the job, so I was abandoned here." She turned, fire in her eyes. "That is what will happen to your friends if you fail. They will become slaves to him, like me." Kagi's eyes softened. "Please, do not let that happen. Save them."

Suddenly, thunder rolled over the land. Kagi looked up, then back at the group. "It is time. Good luck. I will see you at each door." She bowed, and, in a flurry of leaves, was gone.

**Ryu:** Ok, that went a bit differently than I had planned it too.

**Gaara:** That's because we wanted it to go that way.

**Etna:** Hey, I like it. Creepy guy, working class girl, sounds like me and Laharl. shakes her head, frowning Now that I think about it…

**Ryu:** I know it's been a long time, but, I think you remember how to write me a loving review! Right?


	3. The Game Begins

**The Deadly Game**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Period. Kagitsu and Nunota are mine. Use them as you wish, if you want. Just let me know so I can read the story… 

**Ryu:** Hi everyone:Looks around as crickets chirp. Turns to Gaara: No one's here.

**Gaara:** Well, you did leave them waiting for a while.

**Ryu:** :Eyes well up: I didn't mean to…now I'm writing for…no one?

**Gaara:** No, not no one… If you write again, people will come back.

**Ryu:** You think so?

**Gaara:** I know so…

**Chapter 3: The Game Begins**

As the wind from Kagi's exit died down, the guys turned to one another.

"How exactly does this guy expect us to do this?" asked Naruto. "We have to fight, use our heads, and make sure that we have enough to deal with whatever is in the last two areas. That's going to be difficult."

"He doesn't," said Neji quietly. "That's the point of this game. He wants us, or at least some of us, not to make it. He wants to keep as many of the girls as he can."

Shikamaru stepped up. "Well, we can beat him at his own game, if we're smart. Since there's no time limit in here, apparently, we can use that to our advantage. If we don't use too much chakra, gather any throwing weapons we use, and rest when we need to, we should be able to stay able and ready for the next rooms.

"Well, if we are going to do this," said Sasuke, "We should get going." The others nodded.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Naruto interjected. "What about teams? We should decide now."

"Kagitsu-san said that the teams would be random," said Lee.

"Don't call her Kagi," said a voice.

Everyone turned to Gaara. "Huh?" questioned Naruto, confused.

"I said, don't call her Kagi," he repeated. "That's the name that asshole gave her. It's not even really a name." His eyes burned.

"Well, what are we supposed to call her?" asked Sasuke. "She doesn't really have a name."

Gaara looked around. "Aki."

Choji nodded. "Aki. Autumn. It's fitting, and rather pretty."

"Ok then, Aki-kun said that," said Lee, earning himself a glare from Gaara.

Kiba was kneeling on the ground. "So we have no idea who we're going to be teamed up with?" He patted Akamaru. "Man, that bites."

"I agree," said Kankurou. He was glaring around the group, hoping to be paired with someone at least semi-rational.

"How troublesome," muttered Shikamaru. "Now we can't set up balanced teams. We'll just have to take things as they come."

"This will actually be a good chance to get to know people," said Sasuke in a rare display of teamwork. "We can know how they fight, and adapt accordingly."

Neji nodded. "And let's remember. We're here to rescue the girls. We have to work together to do this. I'm sure that this guy will have things that will test our teamwork, and if it isn't solid, there's a good chance we will lose people. We cannot afford that. Just remember, anger and frustration cannot be taken out on your teammate." Everyone looked around, then nodded.

"Well then, let's get going," said Naruto. "How do we get to the first area?"

Kiba pointed to the ground, still covered in sparkly green haze. "I think this will lead us where we need to go."

The group trudged along the path, fallen leaves crunching beneath their feet, following the haze. Finally, the haze stopped and covered the bottom of a huge tree. A door cut into the trunk stood ajar.

"Well, this looks like it," stated Kiba.

"So what? We just walk through?" asked Naruto.

"That's what it looks like," said Gaara.

The group looked around themselves again, and filed through the door.

**Ryu:** Alright, it's short. But it's just a transitional chapter between areas.

**Gaara:** I know what you did to me…

**Ryu:** Sorry, but the master sees you two as a threat.

**Gaara:** You do realize that the two of us together is going to be weird.

**Ryu:** :Smiles: Yup…


	4. Forest of Fear and Plains of Worry, Pt 1

**The Deadly Game**

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Naruto. Period. Kagitsu and Nunota are mine. Use them as you wish, if you want. Just let me know so I can read the story… 

**Ryu:** Ok, next installment of Deadly Game coming up!

**Gaara: ** I think they want Different Path soon…they look like they'll get ugly if they don't get it.

**Ryu:** I can do that. It's not going to be too difficult. I know what the next part is.

**Gaara:** Now all you have to do is write it…

**Ryu: **Yeah, and that's the difficult part…

**Chapter 4: The Forest of Fear and the Plains of Worry, Part 1**

There were a few moments of darkness.

Shikamaru blinked his eyes and looked around. The landscape didn't look any different. He turned around and realized why. It was no different. He was on the opposite side of the tree. He had passed through the trunk and out the other side.

But where was everyone else?

Almost as if in answer to his silently asked question, Kiba and Akamaru came through the tree. There was no one else.

Shikamaru realized fairly quickly what had happened. The rest of the group had been sent off to their starting points in this area. It looked as though he and Kiba would have this area to cover.

Kiba was looking around, confused. "Hey, didn't it work? How come we're still here?"

Shikamaru came over next to him. "It looks like it did. The two of us, it seems, have this area to cover." He shook his head. "Still troublesome."

"So you mean," started Kiba, "That everyone else just vanished into that funky tree? And showed up somewhere else?" Shikamaru nodded. "Man, this place is too weird."

Shikamaru was quiet for a few moments as he looked around. There seemed to only be the one path for right now. "Well, since we have a path, it looks like we should take that."

Kiba looked at the path, then moved into the brush surrounding it. "If we're quiet, we can parallel the path, and not be in the open, vulnerable to attack."

Shikamaru thought again for a few seconds. "True," he said. "But if what Aki said is true, we're going to get attacked anyway. I'd rather be in the open where I can see it coming, instead of in the brush, where there's too much that could trip you up."

Kiba thought about that for a second. "Ok." He jumped onto the path next to Shikamaru. "Well, which way?"

The two of them turned and looked both ways down the path. The clearing that they had met Aki's master in was gone. The forest was the only thing that remained. After carefully analyzing both directions, Shikamaru came to a decision.

"You decide."

Kiba looked at him in shock, but then looked both directions again. "I think that we should go this way," he said, pointing away from the area the clearing had been. "I mean, the door was facing this way, right?"

Shikamaru nodded, and they began wandering down the path.

The path continued on through the falling leaves. After a few minutes, Kiba turned to Shikamaru.

"Hey, what do you think the chances are of everyone making it out?" he asked. He really didn't want to know, but this place was already giving him the creeps. He wanted to pretend that this was a mission, so conversation seemed the best way.

"I'm really not sure," answered Shikamaru. "It depends on the level of the enemies, and how well the teams work together. I wish I knew who was paired with whom."

"I know," said Kiba, thankful for the reply. "I can think of a couple of groups that might not be the best of ideas."

"I can think of a few too," answered Shikamaru.

Suddenly, Akamaru growled softly. Shikamaru and Kiba both looked at him.

"What is it, Akamaru?" Kiba asked. Then, he could smell it too. He motioned to Shikamaru. "Someone's around."

Shikamaru looked around them. No leaves rustled, except for in the wind. It was quiet, with few birds singing. There didn't seem to be any motion in the forest.

Akamaru heard it first, followed almost instantly by Kiba. The high-pitched whining. Akamaru whimpered, and Kiba covered his ears. "Ahhh! That's loud!" he cried, alerting Shikamaru to their plight. Shikamaru strained his ears and heard the sound, very slightly. Kiba and Akamaru fell to the ground, trying desperately to block out the sound.

Damn it, thought Shikamaru. Whatever this was, it was making life a whole lot more troublesome. He stood with his back to Kiba, looking all around. He still didn't see anything. He turned a full circle. All of a sudden, a glint caught his eye; he parried the kunai aimed at Kiba swiftly, and launched a barrage of his own. Two he heard thunk into trees, but the third seemed to have hit its mark, as a quiet cry came from the direction. He threw another in that direction, and the torturous squealing sound stopped.

Kiba stood up, shaking his head. "Damn! Whatever that was, it was horrible." He bent over and picked up Akamaru, checking him over. "At least it's over now."

"The sound may be," said a strange voice. "But the fight is just beginning."

Shikamaru and Kiba looked around. A figure stepped out onto the path, followed by two more. The right one, Shikamaru noticed with some satisfaction, was wounded in the stomach. Blood oozed out, but the man didn't seem to care. Shikamaru refocused his eyes on the leader.

"So, you're the new blood," stated the leader, his brown eyes arching from Shikamaru to Kiba and back. "Nunota-sama told us you'd be coming."

The two flanking the leader chuckled. "He'd mentioned he'd gotten some new bait," said the one on the left, "But he never told us what to expect. Said it'd ruin the game."

"Game?" asked Shikamaru.

"Yeah," the guy on the right said. "That's what this all is. A giant game he can watch. There are rules and everything."

"So this is all a game to him?" Kiba asked in amazement.

"Yeah," answered the leader. "But the stakes are high. You players could lose your lives, and the bait could become his."

"Just like Aki," muttered Shikamaru under his breath.

"Aki? You mean Kagi?" asked the leader. "Yeah, she became his because her little playmates couldn't stand up to the heat. Two of them died before they even reached the sixth area." He started laughing. "It was so funny seeing her face when Nunota-sama explained what had happened. Apparently, one of those killed was her brother."

Kiba's eyes narrowed. "So you mean that, if we don't defeat you all and get the keys, the girls become slaves?"

"Yep. That's it exactly."

Kiba nodded. "Ok." Suddenly, he crouched. Akamaru jumped to his back and the two of them performed the half-beast transformation. "Then I suppose we'll just have to kick your asses first!"

The leader regarded him with amused eyes. "Oh? I'd like to see you try."

Shikamaru looked up, wishing, willing the sun out, and like a prayer, sunlight broke through the clouds. He smiled up and took stance.

The leader shook his head. "And we were going to offer you to stay here with us and play with others, but, oh well." The three of them spread out. The two groups glared at each other.

**Ryu:** Alright! That's where we stop for right now.

**Gaara:** But nothing really happened!

**Ryu: **I know. But I'm sure others want to know what happens to their favorite boys too, right?

**Gaara:** I suppose so.

**Ryu:** Tune in again for **Chapter 5: The Rainforest of No Light and the River of Regret, Part 1**!


End file.
